The next day Shelene took Omega into the city, where she had never been before, and with just $20 bought her a bed, a sheet, a mosquito net, a blanket and new shoes. She says she felt like Oprah. That's the power of American currency in poverty-stricken third world countries.
Shelene Bryan also found child # GBA 8453, Alonis, a beautiful young boy alive and well, and very aware of who she was and the difference her $25 a month was making. "It was like finding my own son", she says.
Shelene Bryan's life was forever changed that day. She describes her transformation like this: "I was reduced to my knees, taken out of my comfort zone - and brought face to face with compassion. I made a promise to Omega and Alonis that I would never forget them or their friends. I would go back to my home in America and advocate for these children."
So Shelene Bryan gave up her Hollywood career and started Skip1.org with one simple concept – skip something you don’t really need, no matter how small, and use that money to help a child get fed. Skip1 is not about one person making a big donation. It's about lots of people making small ones and changing the world.
Since 2003, Shelene Bryan has traveled back to Uganda three times. Omega and Alonis' village now has a thriving farm, a health center, a clean-water drinking well and a number of bicycles used for transportation in and out of the remote area. Today Skip1 supports children and families in need around the world. Shelene says there are no borders when it comes to loving a child, and there is no work more important, or gratifying, than caring for them.
